Disgruntled cyclists take matters into own hands to clear up "dangerous" path

Before and after: Alyson Tyler, Jill Asher and Sally Hinchcliffe, swept the path from Edinburgh Road to the Dumfries Train Station

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Fed-up cyclists were forced to take matters into their own hands to clear a “dangerous leaf build up” on a Dumfries path.

The campaign group Cycling Dumfries has had numerous reports of people slipping off their bikes on the popular route from the train station to Edinburgh Road and elsewhere.

A group of cyclists decided to tackle the problem themselves this week and, using shovels and brooms, cleared the entire length of the path in just two hours — after waiting two months in vain for the council to act.

The group’s convener, Sally Hinchcliffe, said: “This is a safety issue and we simply ran out of patience waiting for the council to act.

“We’ve had reports from cyclists in the town that they’ve come off their bikes and even broken bones because of leaves and debris on the paths.

“We’ve gone through the official channels and got nowhere — they told us the work was scheduled but after two months of waiting we still had no idea when it was going to be done.

“We don’t want to see anyone have an accident trying to get to work or catch a train, so we decided we’d do it ourselves. The path is actually surprisingly wide once it’s been cleared, with room for everyone.”

She told the Standard that the group reported the issue to the council at the beginning of November and was assured the work was scheduled to be done.

However, as the weeks ticked by nothing happened, “except that the leaves started to rot down and formed a slippery layer which narrowed the path and was a potential hazard, especially after dark”.

And after being told this week that the council didn’t have a mechanism for clearing the resulting mulch, volunteers went out and removed it themselves and were congratulated as they worked by passers-by.

Ms Hinchcliffe said: “An elderly couple commented that they did not feel safe walking on the path where the leaves had built up.”

Cycling Dumfries members shared their frustration and concerns on social media.

And Ms Hinchcliffe added: “Many more paths remain in a dangerous condition. The cycle path from the Edinburgh Road to the Moffat Road is also in poor condition and could form a real hazard where it slopes downhill.

“The council responded to the group’s tweet by offering to uplift any bags of leaves, but have not yet said whether other paths are slated to be cleared.”

In a reply to the tweet, Derek Crichton, the council’s director of communities, said: “Many thanks for sterling community effort. I will pick this up as part of our ongoing community engagement and to improve our future response.”